Dassault NEUROn - Project History

Project History

In 1999, Dassault Aviation launched its LOGIDUC stealth UCAV program, which gave birth to the Dassault AVE-D Petit Duc that flew in July 2000 as the first stealth UAV in Europe, and to the Dassault AVE-C Moyen Duc (2001). Dassault changed the third phase name "Grand Duc" - a full scale advanced version of the Moyen Duc - to the more European sounding nEUROn, as the French project was joined by European partners to reduce its development cost. Great Britain didn't join because it was already involved with an American similar program, neither Germany who desisted officially because the country was unable to afford the financial participation.

During the 2003 Paris Air Show, French Minister of Defence Mme Michèle Alliot-Marie announced a major agreement signed between the French groups EADS France, Dassault Aviation and Thales. The agreement covered a joint-venture to "realise a new unmanned military technology that covers all future activity in combat and strategic reconnaissance aeronautics" i.e. LOGIDUC's phase three, "Grand Duc".

EADS leads a HALE (High Altitude, Long Endurance) UAV project.

Meanwhile, the French defence procurement agency, DGA, acting as the program executive on behalf of the participating countries, has entrusted development of the first nEUROn UCAV demonstrator to Dassault Aviation and its European partners. Sub-contracts have been made with the French industrial firms Thales and EADS France and also with five European firms, Saab (Sweden), EAB (Greece), Alenia (Italy), RUAG Aerospace (Switzerland) and EADS CASA (Spain).

Chief project manager Thierry Prunier comes from Dassault Aviation, and the deputy project managers are Mats Ohlson of Saab and Ermanno Bertolina of Alenia. There is a single link between the executive agency (DGA) and the prime contractor (Dassault), and it will be up to the executive agency to coordinate with the government agencies of the participating countries. It will be up to the prime contractor, meanwhile, to coordinate the work with the other industries.

After Spain joined the programme in early February 2006 (Belgium could join later), work breakdown among the European industrial partners was planned as follows::

• Dassault Aviation

Master builder

Overall architectures & design

Flight control system

Final assembly

Global testing (static & flight)

Dassault claims 50% of development and is responsible for the standalone LOGIDUC programme. The nEUROn (2010) will be the third Dassault stealth UAV prototype following the AVE-D Petit Duc (2000) & AVE-C Moyen Duc (2004). The nEUROn project replaces the LOGIDUC final phase AVE Grand Duc.

• Saab AB: (joined on December 22, 2005)

Overall design

Equipped fuselage

Avionics

Fuel system

Flight testing

Saab claims 25% of development and is also the coordinator for the other Swedish corporations involved.

• Alenia Aeronautica: (joined in mid-2005)

Weapon firing system

Smart Integrated Weapon Bay

Air data system

Electrical system

Flight testing

Thanks to the technologies developed for the UAV prototype Sky-x (2003) Alenia Aeronautica claims to is the first industrial partner with 22% share of the entire programme.

• EADS CASA: (joined on February 7, 2006)

Wing

Ground control station

Data-link integration

• EAB: (joined on January 11, 2006)

Rear fuselage

Tail pipe

Integration bench

Engine

Air to Air Missile

Communication System

• RUAG: (joined in mid-2005)

Wind tunnel tests

Weapons carriage

• Thales: (joined on June 14, 2005)

Data-link (STANAG 7085 compliant)

Command interface

• EADS France: (joined in June 2003)

Undisclosed

nEUROn UCAV made its maiden flight on December 2012 the first.